Although not indigenous to Africa, I am fond of their flowers. they are only open for 1 day, but are quite the show when they appear.
Tag Archives: Horticulture
My Strelitzia is flowering! Strelitzia reginae, featured plant at Towerkop Nursery.
Bird of paradise, Strelitzia is a close relative of the banana. The striking flowers of this species are evolved to attract bird pollinators.Birds also eat and disperse the seeds. The cut flowers are popular. This stemless perennial are native to South Africa and occurs in coastal areas in well drained soil along forest margins.
Seeds with their orange wooly arils.
Posted in FEATURED PLANTS
Tagged Africa, flowers, Horticulture, Indigenous plants, Plants
Today John the farmer spotted this on his walk on the mountain.
This Babiana plant is a perennial corm bulb in the Iris family. Apparently favoured by baboons that eat it’s corms (hence babiana), it survives amongst rock crevices on sandstone slopes and flats where it flowers in early spring. Possibly B. ambigua, this one was found growing on the Swartberg mountains in the little Karoo.
Posted in ORGANIC PRODUCE
Tagged Africa, flowers, Horticulture, Indigenous plants, Plants, water-wise
Senecio articulatus. Candle plant/ hotdog plant/ worsies. Featured plant at Towerkop Nursery.
Senecio or Kleinia articularis is a succulent with blue-gray jointed stems resembling a string of sausages hence it’s name hotdog plant or ‘worsies’.
It has ivy shaped leaves that are seen seasonally, otherwise the stems are bare.
They spread and ramble under larger shrubs in the spekboomveld and gwarrieveld of the western cape and eastern cape of South Africa.
Posted in FEATURED PLANTS
Tagged Africa, Horticulture, Indigenous plants, Plants, Succulents, water-wise
Calpurnia aurea – Yellow keurboom. featured tree at Towerkop Nursery.
Calpurnia aurea being attended to by a pollinator. This small evergreen tree is indigenous to the eastern cape, natal and gauteng provinces of South Africa. It grows to 4m. It is fast growing and produces yellow pea-like flowers from 2yrs, making it the ideal ‘instant’ tree. It can be pruned into a compact shape and is frost tolerant.
Posted in FEATURED PLANTS
Tagged Africa, flowers, Horticulture, Indigenous plants, Medicinal plants, organic, Plants, Sustainable, Trees
Moonstone, Pachyphytum flowering now at Towerkop Nursery.
A native of Mexico, this Moonstone succulent flowers from late winter to early spring.
Posted in FEATURED PLANTS
Tagged flowers, Horticulture, Plants, Succulents, water-wise
This Stapeliad is flowering now at Towerkop Nursery.
It is indigenous to the Little Karoo in the Western Cape, South Africa.
Today Towerkop Nursery is recycling.
The carrier handle on this wine box makes a good plant tag !
Stapelia gariepensis – Flowering now at Towerkop Nursery.
Found in stony places and drier areas of the Karoo and Namaqualand in South Africa. The starfish-like flowers mimic the odour of rotting flesh, to attract the carrion flies that pollinate them.
Nice to look at though !
Seedpod and seeds of Stapelia gariepensis.
Posted in FEATURED PLANTS
Tagged Africa, flowers, Horticulture, Medicinal plants, Plants, Succulents
Sea-onion, Albuca bracteata. Feature plant at Towerkop Nursery.
Albuca bracteata – Sea onion being attended to by a bee !
Attractive inflorescences on long spikes of small white fragrant flowers with green central stripes produced from spring to summer.
These South African natives are particularly attractive in rock gardens, slopes and containers.
